Louise Carrin’s Venusia takes top prize at Oberhausen

The 62nd International Short Film Festival Oberhausen came to a close this week with a win for Swiss filmmaker Louise Carrin. Her film Venusia (pictured above), which won the Grand Prize of the City of Oberhausen, is a documentary about an owner of a luxurious brothel and her friend. The film was described by the jury as “A film that, by simple means in a single room, creates a whole universe. A static double portrait opens up to a dynamic landscape of the contemporary human condition.”

The Festival’s ‘Prinicpal Prize’ was won by the renowned Philippine filmmaker Lav Diaz for his short Ang araw bago ang wakas [The Day Before The End], a film which takes a look at the Philippines in 2015. It was described by the jury as “…a work of political urgency.”

Other winners including artist/filmmaker Laure Prouvost whose film If It Was won the FIPRESCI Prize and the French film 489 Years , which looks at the demilitarized zone between North and South Korea. German filmmaker and artist Vika Kirchenbauer won the festival’s ‘Prize for the best contribution to the German Competition’ for She Whose Blood Is Clotting In My Underwear.

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